For the last month, Sue and I have been enjoying our time in the Palm Beach area, but our month is up and it’s time to start heading north. The first tropical storm of the season has already passed us, so we need to get north before more and bigger storms come.
Our plan is to head out into the ocean and sail to Beaufort, North Carolina. That’s a 500 nautical mile trip and should take about 4 days. Once there, we’ll anchor and hang out for a few days and decide what we’re going to do next.
Our plans to get back to Chicago are up in the air. The only practical route home is through the Erie Canal, which runs from the Hudson River just north of Albany to Buffalo, on Lake Erie. The canal was scheduled to open May 15. Unfortunately, the canal was deemed non essential during New York’s shutdown, so the maintenance typically done in March and April never happened.
At one point, there was talk of not opening the canal this year, but cooler heads prevailed. The latest from the Canal is they’re going to open the eastern portion first, targeting 4th of July. The western portion should be opened sometime in August. So, we’re going to have some time to kill before we can get back to the Great Lakes.
While we’ve been in Palm Beach, like most of the country, restaurants, parks, and beaches were closed. Florida started opening up a couple of weeks ago. First, we could go to restaurants with outdoor seating. Then, they allowed indoor seating. And finally, just as we’re ready to leave, they open the parks and beaches. Sue and I did sneak out and hit the beach the first day they opened. I’m sure we’ll sneak off again before heading out.
I was able to get several boat projects done while we were here. West Marine is within walking distance and Boat Owners Warehouse is a short bike ride away.
While in the Bahamas I learned there was a recall on my Honda generator. Apparently, they can burst into flames when used in a salt water environment. After learning that, I started putting the generator on the edge of the deck instead of the middle. If it caught on fire, I could always kick it overboard. And yes, that was one of the first projects I took care of when we got here.
We also rented a car and drove to the Ft Myers area to visit my Aunt and Uncle. It was nice to see family again and get off the boat and spend the night in a normal house. That’s where we went to our first restaurant in God knows how long.
Kurt & Sue Sail 